‘Big-City’ Venue Has Tampa Bay Poker Run Near Sell-Out—And Jones Eyeing Future Expansion

Of all the poker runs produced by the Florida Powerboat Club every year, only the Tampa Bay affair operates each day out of a large city. That’s a significant element of the event’s appeal, according to club president Stu Jones, beyond its two-day poker-run format.

Registration for the April 10-12 happening stands at 65 boats.Thanks to limited dock space, just a few slots remain.

“Tampa Bay is really the only event that has a metropolitan, cosmopolitan, big-city feel,” Jones said. “I think that’s what separates this event from all the others—having a wide variety of hotels and multiple dining options just steps away from the marina and poker-run headquarters.”

Registration for the 2025 Tampa Bay Poker Run stands at 65 boats and the event is almost sold out. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

So popular is the event with club members that Jones believes it “absolutely” could draw 80 to 100 entries if the venue had enough dock space to accommodate them.

“The downtown hotel infrastructure—plus the combination of so many waterfront restaurants in the area—make it truly a great location for growth,” he explained. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature put a handicap on that growth because a series of hurricanes destroyed a lot of the transient docking facilities. Marjorie Park, for example, which is right there on Davis Island, could normally accommodate another 10 to 15 boats. But they haven’t had time to rebuild it since the last hurricane.”

Yet Jones hasn’t given up on expanding the event next year. Far from it.

“The Florida Powerboat Club will be looking into additional facilities over the next few weeks,” he said. “I think by 2026 we could have a format to push this event in the 80- to 100-boat category.”